Coaches

Ulf Samuelsson was named assistant coach of the New York Rangers on August 14, 2013.

Samuelsson joins the Rangers’ bench after spending the last two seasons as Head Coach of the Swedish Hockey League’s (SHL) Modo Hockey, where he posted a 38-15-16-41 record. He guided Modo to a playoff appearance in each of his two seasons with the team from 2011-12 to 2012-13.

Prior to joining Modo, Samuelsson spent five seasons as an Associate Coach with the Phoenix Coyotes from 2006-07 to 2010-11. During his tenure, the Coyotes posted a 198-173-39 record, and advanced to the playoffs on two occasions (2009-10, 2010-11). In 2009-10, he helped guide Phoenix to franchise records with 50 wins and 107 points. The former NHL defenseman was instrumental in developing the team’s core defensemen, including Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Zbynek Michalek.

Samuelsson began his coaching career in the AHL as an Assistant Coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2005-06, serving alongside Head Coach Jim Schoenfeld and Assistant Coach Ken Gernander. The Wolf Pack advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals following a 48-24-0-8 campaign.

A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Samuelsson appeared in 1,080 career games as a player with the Hartford Whalers (1984-91), Pittsburgh Penguins (1991-95), New York Rangers (1995-99), Detroit Red Wings (1999), and Philadelphia Flyers (1999-00). Originally selected by Hartford as a fourth round choice, 67th overall, in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, he registered 57 goals and 275 assists for 332 points, along with 2,453 penalty minutes and a plus-172 rating. Samuelsson is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991, 1992), and skated as an NHL All-Star in the two-game Rendez-vous ’87 series against the Soviet National Team.

In four seasons with the Rangers, Samuelsson registered 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points, along with 475 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating in 287 regular season games. The Fagerstad, Sweden native has also represented Sweden in several international competitions, including in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, and with the silver medal-winning team in the 1990 IIHF World Championships.

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft